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Jonnie Wall-Flewelling (left), owner of the historic Seminole Inn on Warfield Boulevard, talks with her husband, Greg Flewelling, in the lobby of the iconic business Tuesday, July 10, 2018, in Indiantown. "I think the people on the council are extremely thrifty...I've sat in a couple council meetings, and they're not flamboyant people, they're working people," Greg Flewelling said. "Well, I think that people that work really hard for their money are respectful of that," Jonnie Wall-Flewelling added. XAVIER MASCAREÑAS/TCPALM

Keith Bessette, who moved to downtown Stuart from New Jersey about a year ago, sits on the porch of the historic Seminole Inn during a trip he made Tuesday, July 10, 2018, to explore Indiantown. "About a couple months ago, I saw somebody come play at the Sneaki Tiki," Bessette said, "and he walked in and he had cowboy boots, jeans and a blue flannel shirt and an orange camouflage hunting hat." Bessette added that the performer told him he was from Indiantown, and that inspired his visit. XAVIER MASCAREÑAS/TCPALM

Antrinette Dowling Scales, who supported incorporation, is interviewed Tuesday, July 10, 2018, at work at the Indiantown Marina in Indiantown. "There are so many years of things we have to catch up with," she said, "We need to be patient.” XAVIER MASCAREÑAS/TCPALM

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Antrinette Dowling Scales, who supported incorporation, is interviewed Tuesday, July 10, 2018, at work at the Indiantown Marina in Indiantown. "There are so many years of things we have to catch up with," she said. "We need to be patient.”(Photo11: XAVIER MASCAREÑAS/TCPALM)Buy Photo

Others questioned the need for an additional layer of government and said they feared special-interest groups would take over their rural community.

But now, nearly nine months after incorporation passed 576-337 and six months since unincorporated Indiantown officially became the village of Indiantown, the mother and daughter have found common ground, and both are cautiously optimistic about the future of Martin County's first new municipality since 1960.

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Jonnie Wall-Flewelling (left), owner of the historic Seminole Inn on Warfield Boulevard, talks with her husband, Greg Flewelling, in the lobby of the iconic business Tuesday, July 10, 2018, in Indiantown. "I think the people on the council are extremely thrifty...I've sat in a couple council meetings, and they're not flamboyant people, they're working people," Greg Flewelling said. "Well, I think that people that work really hard for their money are respectful of that," Jonnie Wall-Flewelling added.(Photo11: XAVIER MASCAREÑAS/TCPALM)

“Council meetings are packed. People here are invested, but there’s an attitude of wait and see,” Wall-Flewelling said. “We’re country. We don't want talk. You have to prove to us what you can do. In practicality, I think it will take a year to get our feet under us.

"A lot of people want us to be successful,” Wall-Flewelling added. “If we can hold onto our history and culture, we’ll be a one-of-a-kind town.”

Indiantown's five-member Village Council hosted its first meeting March 21, and since then has held well-attended meetings every second and fourth Thursday of the month. None of the five — Mayor Susan Gibbs Thomas, Vice Mayor Guyton Stone and council members Jackie Clarke, Anthony Dowling and Janet Hernández — previously held elected political office.

But aided by seasoned government officials such as Paul Nicoletti, who is serving as interim village attorney; Teresa Lamar-Sarno, interim village manager; and Bonnie Landry, planning consultant, the council has plunged into the work of governing.

Nicoletti, former Stuart city manager, said watching and helping Indiantown build a government from nothing has been extraordinary.

"It's been absolutely fascinating. I count it as one of the blessings of my career," Nicoletti said.

The interim village attorney said he believes Indiantown is ahead of schedule: the council has appointed citizens groups, joined regional committees and is beginning the budget process for the upcoming fiscal year.

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Keith Bessette, who moved to downtown Stuart from New Jersey about a year ago, sits on the porch of the historic Seminole Inn during a trip he made Tuesday, July 10, 2018, to explore Indiantown. "About a couple months ago, I saw somebody come play at the Sneaki Tiki," Bessette said, "and he walked in and he had cowboy boots, jeans and a blue flannel shirt and an orange camouflage hunting hat." Bessette added that the performer told him he was from Indiantown, and that inspired his visit.(Photo11: XAVIER MASCAREÑAS/TCPALM)

Nicoletti describes the council as having an "interesting dynamic," and said the five members still are figuring out the strategies to get along used by many more-established local governments.

"(Indiantown) hasn't gotten to that point yet, but they will. It's just too new," he said. "They're about where they should be, but not where they could be."

One of the most important tasks the village must take on — developing a comprehensive plan — still is in its earliest stages. The Comprehensive Plan Review Committee hosted its first meeting last month, but by Dec. 31, 2020, must prepare and adopt a plan which will help guide the economic, social and physical development of the village through regulations on zoning and building, according to state law.

“The meetings are packed. People are really into it,” Dowling Scales said. "But it’s going to take a while. There are so many years of things we have to catch up with. We need to be patient.”

Not everyone is pleased with incorporation, though.

A number of Booker Park residents expressed concerns about the new Village Council, saying many of its members spend too little time in the community, and major concerns — including poor roads, insufficient street lighting and limited job opportunities — have not yet been addressed.

But one Booker Park resident, Marquis Adamson, had a more hopeful take, citing a number of new businesses that have opened, or plan to open, on Warfield Boulevard.

“I’ve lived here forever, and at least (now) we’re getting a chance to try out new things,” Adamson said. “More businesses will help more people get jobs.”

Danielle Williamson, the first person to sign a business lease since Indiantown incorporated, said she hopes her Fresh Stop Deli will bring even more opportunities to Indiantown.

"I want to offer something in my community. There's not a lot of healthier options in town right now," Williamson said. "I want people to have more wholesome options, somewhere people can call in and order a fresh salad and just come pick it up."